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Old 12-29-2020, 10:11 AM   #41
CADman_KS
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Height may be an issue if you add a satellite dish onto the roof.
Very true. Their website has a flyover view of the top, and it's actually pretty clean up there, and fairly low profiled...
 
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Old 12-29-2020, 10:16 AM   #42
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...

Granted this particular concept is not for everyone but it would be unwise to underestimate the market for it. There are a LOT more people out there than you think that would love to take larger toys with them but don't want a conventional toyhauler.
Did I misunderstand something in your last post about the toy hauler? Are you saying that a floor plan like the River Ranch is good for toys, or the 380/1TH?

I don't see how the River Ranch would be helpful in the toy market, but I can be enlightened.
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Old 12-29-2020, 10:54 AM   #43
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It wasn't intended as a PERSONAL attack but rather a counter to the statement made. It was a counter DEBATE.

I am, to say the least, VERY PASSIONATE about this design concept. After all, I was the guy that drew out the original floor plan concept for Grand Design. I advocated for same with Keystone and Forest River as well. In general, its just good to see the industry trying something different. I get so tired of seeing the same cookie cutter floor plans in all the lines year after year.

Granted this particular concept is not for everyone but it would be unwise to underestimate the market for it. There are a LOT more people out there than you think that would love to take larger toys with them but don't want a conventional toyhauler.

I understand but when a person feels unsafe for himself or family they should not be challenged to a debate on their personal threshold of safety for themselves IMO.

It's clear you have a vested interest in the design and that's fine. To try to explain your perceived advantages of it is also understandable but trying to refute anything anyone has to say negatively about it isn't warranted IMO. I don't know, or care, how big the market is for that type of design - I don't like it because....I don't. Others may love it...or not. It's up to the design to sell itself and then we will see. I do think options are a good thing to have...JMO
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Old 12-29-2020, 12:54 PM   #44
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Did I misunderstand something in your last post about the toy hauler? Are you saying that a floor plan like the River Ranch is good for toys, or the 380/1TH?

I don't see how the River Ranch would be helpful in the toy market, but I can be enlightened.
You would have to read my other posts. I mentioned combining the 381TH concept with the storage of the other unit in front of it. Essentially extending the garage (at a lower height) all the way to the front of the unit. That would give you a lot of length for toys that are long but not all that tall (like canoes for instance). I think you could squeeze enough height for maybe jet ski on low profile trailer. For certain that could happen on a widebody frame with Independent suspension. On that setup you could drop the floor of the garage down between the frame rails.
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Old 12-29-2020, 12:57 PM   #45
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Very true. Their website has a flyover view of the top, and it's actually pretty clean up there, and fairly low profiled...
Hang the dish on the ladder at the back. That's what a lot of folks do anyway. Put it on an extension pole that can be raised if you have too.

You guys are just throwing weak reasons out there why this is a bad concept without thinking thru the possible engineering workarounds.

Come on now we should be celebrating something new on the market and encouraging more of it!!!!
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Old 12-29-2020, 01:10 PM   #46
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Hang the dish on the ladder at the back. That's what a lot of folks do anyway. Put it on an extension pole that can be raised if you have too.

You guys are just throwing weak reasons out there why this is a bad concept without thinking thru the possible engineering workarounds.

Come on now we should be celebrating something new on the market and encouraging more of it!!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and hope that other manufacturers get on the bandwagon and come up with variations. I'm also lazy and love my Winegard Traveler and solar panels. Basement A/C is brilliant.

Would need a chairlift for DW. An integrated option from the mfg. would be best.
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Old 12-29-2020, 02:11 PM   #47
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Don't get me wrong, I love the concept and hope that other manufacturers get on the bandwagon and come up with variations. I'm also lazy and love my Winegard Traveler and solar panels. Basement A/C is brilliant.

Would need a chairlift for DW. An integrated option from the mfg. would be best.
Actually I like the idea of nothing on the roof. Reduces chance of a leak and is easier to maintain!!

New Horizon and Spacecraft already have models that use Mini Splits. Technically they are not what I would call a basement A/C unit as they are not ducted units and the compressor is either in the nose or on the side of the unit and not in the basement storage area. Previous attempts at the concept used an actual basement compressor unit more like a house or a marine unit. I should also mention that Mini splits are all the rage in the cargo trailer conversion circles. They certainly make sense as they are very efficient and fairly compact.

I understand the need for lifts but I don't think you will ever see the original mfg. do it. There isn't enough demand out there for that. Fortunately there are several companies that do it aftermarket. I actually saw one company (I think it was Forest River) that had teamed up with an after market company to show off one model with wheelchair lift at the Hershey, PA show.

Also with a large storage bay you could carry motorized wheel chair and related items.
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Old 12-30-2020, 01:23 PM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CADman_KS View Post
Did I misunderstand something in your last post about the toy hauler? Are you saying that a floor plan like the River Ranch is good for toys, or the 380/1TH?

I don't see how the River Ranch would be helpful in the toy market, but I can be enlightened.
You could easily get a golf cart or ATV in there. Think of the toyhaulers out now that have lifting beds with gaping maws under them when they are raised. just sayin. NO reason to think they could not do that with this design either.

Consider yourself enlightened.

ON the subject of hauling big toys, Evergreen's LIfestyle Luxury RVs (out of business now) had a model with a 9x4 foot long slide room that was hidden behind the living room TV (with interior door access). Their "lesser" AlfaGold line also had this feature on one their models (3905SH) too. That concept could hold a GoldWing motorcycle. (even had a optional bike lift ramp and winch assembly) That could be done with this design too with some strengthening alterations. Not everything has to be carried underneath. Just thinking outside the box... so to speak. https://spec.dlrwebservice.com/sb-rv...Motorcycle.jpg
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Old 01-03-2021, 07:31 PM   #49
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You could easily get a golf cart or ATV in there. Think of the toyhaulers out now that have lifting beds with gaping maws under them when they are raised. just sayin. NO reason to think they could not do that with this design either.

Consider yourself enlightened.

ON the subject of hauling big toys, Evergreen's LIfestyle Luxury RVs (out of business now) had a model with a 9x4 foot long slide room that was hidden behind the living room TV (with interior door access). Their "lesser" AlfaGold line also had this feature on one their models (3905SH) too. That concept could hold a GoldWing motorcycle. (even had a optional bike lift ramp and winch assembly) That could be done with this design too with some strengthening alterations. Not everything has to be carried underneath. Just thinking outside the box... so to speak. https://spec.dlrwebservice.com/sb-rv...Motorcycle.jpg
We already have more than one floor plan that caters to the Harley haulers (I don't have anything against motorcycles and in fact own one). Where I am headed is towards hauling more than one toy (IE:Jet ski and a side by side for instance) or longer toys like canoes and such.

There is a LOT of potential if the space was designed in. No telling what kind of toys folks might want to haul. But for sure there is a big market out there of empty nesters with money that have toys. Most of the empty nesters I talk to say the same thing "we would love to bring our toys BUT we don't want the big garage of a conventional toyhauler eating up our living space". And we don't like the living room (break your neck looking at the TV) layout of conventional toy haulers. This is why the HC381TH type floor plan is so popular. Its the first time the MFG got the mix of full floor plan upstairs but still able to carry toys (in basement garage) out there.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the lower the toys are in the unit the more stable (less top heavy) it will be.
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Old 01-03-2021, 09:04 PM   #50
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You could easily get a golf cart or ATV in there. Think of the toyhaulers out now that have lifting beds with gaping maws under them when they are raised. just sayin. NO reason to think they could not do that with this design either.

...
Sure, I wasn't thinking that way. That's where there are still floorplans out there that haven't even been invented yet.

I still think that the minisplit is a big potential game changer for floorplans. Allows them to do things higher, and possibly even lower. A lot more options than currently...
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Old 01-03-2021, 09:07 PM   #51
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We already have more than one floor plan that caters to the Harley haulers (I don't have anything against motorcycles and in fact own one). Where I am headed is towards hauling more than one toy (IE:Jet ski and a side by side for instance) or longer toys like canoes and such.

There is a LOT of potential if the space was designed in. No telling what kind of toys folks might want to haul. But for sure there is a big market out there of empty nesters with money that have toys. Most of the empty nesters I talk to say the same thing "we would love to bring our toys BUT we don't want the big garage of a conventional toyhauler eating up our living space". And we don't like the living room (break your neck looking at the TV) layout of conventional toy haulers. This is why the HC381TH type floor plan is so popular. Its the first time the MFG got the mix of full floor plan upstairs but still able to carry toys (in basement garage) out there.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the lower the toys are in the unit the more stable (less top heavy) it will be.

Jim, I know you have said you are "passionate" about this type of floorplan for some reason but it seems this is now your thread? To promote "your" idea"? Just sayin from a distant perch..... It's nice to hear other folks thoughts without rebuttals etc.
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Old 04-18-2021, 07:26 PM   #52
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It was mentioned earlier, that it needed 3 axles. If you add up the dry weight (13885lb) and the cargo weight (3895lb), then subtract the pin weight (2290lb), you are 1490 lb over weight on the axles based on the 7000 lb axles on the rig.

If they put 8000 lb axles vs the 7000 lb axles and 17.5 in wheels, you could utilize the storage space to full capacity.
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